Returning to the Fold
by Drag'lan 666
Summary: A SPARTAN that has ties to the Predators is left to die on some planet, and goes mercenary, but ends up finding himself returning to the fold of the UNSC. But does he want to return? The story behind this follows a group a few friends I have on deviantart made called Predatorial Halo. Any that are curious about it, just go to deviantart and search groups for it.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: To Anybody that has been reading Lone Wolf, Drag'lan Sorell will be making an appearance in this story, but this is not necessarily the only timeline that can happen.**

Prologue: M.I.A.

Grefor was moving in with his team towards a Xenomorph hive. This mission just didn't sit well with him. But then again, if they doubted he wouldn't get the job done, why would they send him?

"Alright, people." He said. "We got two things wrong here. First, this is a Xenomorph hive. Second, there have been covenant sightings in the area."

"So, what?" Jenkins, a soldier fresh out of boot said. "We can handle them."

"It's not them on their own that bothers me." Grefor said. "It's the idea of them mixed that bothers me."

"So, you're scared." Jenkins said.

"Listen, Meat." Grefor said, using the name he gave new soldiers that ticked him off. "You wanna find out why they gave me the callsign 'Blade' the hard way?"

"No, sir." Jenkins said, shutting up.

"Now, check your firing lanes and keep your eyes open." Grefor said. "Here we go."

He removed his shotgun from its harness and activated the flashlight on it and his chest piece.

The lights danced across the walls and ceiling. Then his motion tracker started going off.

"Alright people, weapon check." He said. "Infantry, you ready?"

"Ready." Jenkins, Fred and Kaila said. They were classified as "Infantry" because their primary weapons were standard-issue Assault Rifles.

"CQB, you ready?" Grefor asked.

"Ready." Alex and Jacob, the shotgun wielders said.

"Marksmen, you ready?" Grefor asked.

"Ready." Jenny, Gregory, and David said. They were holding DMRs.

"Yo, Heavy. You ready?" Grefor asked to Frank.

"You know it!" Frank said, bringing up his grenade launcher. On his back, a rocket launcher was strapped in.

Then the signals of movement were beginning to get closer and closer. Then they just stopped.

"Shit." Grefor said. "Keep your eyes peeled. They've set an ambush."

"What do you-"

A black form darted from the wall, tackling Jenkins. As he was pulled along the ground, Jenkins' gun fired for a good few seconds while he yelled and screamed before his voice was cut off.

That's when the entire situation went to hell. The whole team, aside from Grefor, ran out the entrance they had used as fast as they could, only they didn't make it. The Xenomorphs flew from all directions, butchering the soldiers one after another. Quickly, Grefor was the only one left.

"Alright, you damn motherfuckers." He said, switching the shotgun to semi-auto mode and slamming the pump back, locking it there. "Come get some, then."

He then started walking back towards the entrance. As he went, the Xenomorphs tried to tackle him, but his shotgun went off again, and again. As he fired, the rounds shattered into sharp shrapnel coated in a gelatinous basic compound upon impact, to prevent their blood from spraying on him.

After he left the hive, he caught a very disturbing transmission.

"The mission was a success." A voice said. "The Task Force was wiped out. Pull all military forces off the planet. We're done here."

"What the fuck is going on here?" Grefor asked nobody in particular. "What did that transmission mean by 'The mission was a success.'?"

As he walked back towards the compound, he saw multiple Pelicans lift off.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING?!" He yelled. "They're leaving me here!"

Then he ran to the compound and saw that everything was busted. Shot up. Apparently, whoever was running the show wanted no evidence to be found. However, they left behind a single Pelican.

"What the fuck is going on?" Grefor said as he walked towards the dropship. "This shit ain't normal. But the UNSC had been becoming rather annoyed with me, so maybe this isn't such a bad thing. I always wanted to be a mercenary."

As he got into the dropship and took off, he knew he had to go one place: home. He had to get some knowledge of a place where work as a mercenary wasn't in short supply, at least until he could accrue a decent amount of money. If there was anyone he knew that could know that kind of information, it was his father.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Family Reunion

Grefor was just getting near Lai'Kairis when something happened that he expected; A couple ships came in, arming weapons immediately. He didn't blame them for that, but hailed them on a common yautjan frequency. That caught their curiosity like nothing else would. After a short conversation in yautjan with the pilots of said ships, Grefor gave his identity, stating that he was the son of Drag'lan Sorell. Dropping that name did the trick; The ships gave him a bay, a larger one because of the Pelican's size, near Drag'lan's home.

_Well,_ Grefor thought. _It's technically my mom and dad's home, but whatever._

Grefor landed and disembarked after taking off his helmet. This would be the first time he came home in about 15 years. It looked the same as it did when he was growing up. He immediately started walking towards where he thought his father lived.

He had barely taken ten steps before someone did something stupid.

"Khainde Pyode Amedha walking in this place? What the hell are the guards thinking these days?" A yautja said as Grefor passed before he heard a blade being drawn.

Instinctively, he drew one of his own blades, one of his great-swords, before spinning around and holding it in a defensive stance.

"Do it and die." Grefor said in almost perfect yautjan, stunning the one that was advancing on him.

"What the?" It asked. "How can you-"

"Speak yautjan?" Grefor finished their question for them. "I was raised here. I am the son of Drag'lan Sorell. You know that name, right?"

The yautja's eyes widened at hearing this.

"You're the son of the Nracha-dte'Kujhade?" He asked, the tone finally hitting Grefor as male.

Grefor nodded before sheathing the great sword.

"I am." He said. "So I'd suggest that you don't anger me."

The yautja just backed up and walked away without a word, clearly scared.

Grefor just turned around and started walking towards his mother and father's home.

When he arrived, all he did was lightly knock on the door before taking a step back. He knew that both of them wouldn't be shocked at what he looked like now; When he had left, he was 6'8", but now, he stood taller than even his mother, coming in at 7'2" when not in his armor, but when he was in his armor, he stood 8'1" tall. However, a few years earlier, they had a run-in on a planet he had been sent to.

When Fral'drylx, his mother, walked out, she looked up into his eyes and he saw tears of joy form; Her oldest son had returned. Even though he stood over a foot taller than her, Grefor knew that both her and his father would kick his ass in a full-blown fight. He stooped slightly as she brought him into a hug. He looked behind her and saw his father, Drag'lan Hellanille Sorell standing there, holding a young yautja pup.

"Father." Grefor said after Fral let go of him.

"Grefor." Drag'lan replied with a nod, while still holding the pup. "I'm surprised you returned. What happened to you and the UNSC?"

"Same thing that happened to you with the USCMC before you met mother." Grefor said. "They left me to die on some planet after the Kainde Amedha wiped out my team."

"Interesting…" Fral said, walking over to Drag'lan and taking their daughter from him, the young pup almost squealing with glee at her mom holding her.

"It's been what, five years since we ran into each other on that planet?" Grefor asked.

"It has." Fral said with a nod, still holding the pup. "You want to say hi to your baby sister?"

"Sure." Grefor said with a shrug. "I was planning on asking if it was okay if I stayed here for a couple of days before leaving anyway."

"I'm fine with it, but your father has a say in the matter as well." Fral said, holding the pup out to Grefor. "Here she is."

Grefor gently took his sister into his arms. She was squirming rapidly, trying to get out of his arms.

"She doesn't seem to like you." Fral said, holding her arms out. "Giver her to me."

"No. Just watch this." Grefor said, shaking his head before locking his eyes on his sister. "Hey, you. Look at me."

His sister looked into his eyes.

"I'm your older brother, and I'm not going to hurt you." He said, never breaking eye contact.

His sister then stopped squirming. She even hugged his armor, purring slightly. He gently ran his hand along her back in response.

"But, how did you…?" Fral asked, her eyes wide.

"How did I get her to stop?" Grefor asked, finishing his mother's question. "Something I picked up over time."

"Still, you said you wanted to stay here for a bit?" Drag'lan said, surprised at the new skill his son had acquired, but bringing the subject back around to why Grefor had come.

"Yes, I did." Grefor said with a nod. "I'm thinking of going into the mercenary business, and I figured you'd know where I could start."

"I don't think any of the places I've been will be much help, with the exception of Khyrador." Drag'lan said. "and I'm fine with you staying with your mother and I for a while."

"Thank you. And why is Khyrador the exception?" Grefor asked, one of his eyebrows raised.

"Because it is a planet that houses countless numbers of mercenary factions." Drag'lan said. "On one of the breaks between your mother and I, I ended up there, and within minutes was part of a mercenary company. I'm betting you'll have the same luck. I'll give you the coordinates."

"Thanks, father. I won't be here that long." Grefor said with a nod before gesturing to his sister. "What is her name? And is this the only sibling I should know about?"

"Her name is Har'jelit." Fral said. "Your father and I came up with the name. It means 'Joyous Daylight' in Regollen."

"Nice choice." Grefor said. "And do I have any other siblings?"

"Grath'lat, come out here and meet your older brother." Drag'lan said into the house.

"Do I have to?" A voice said from inside.

"Don't make me go in there and drag you out." Drag'lan warned. "You know I will do it."  
"And if he doesn't, I will." Grefor said. "I want to meet my siblings."

"You know that the other yautja hate me." Grath'lat replied.

"Yeah, but they know that the moment they mess with you, they'll answer to me." Drag'lan said, his volume increasing slightly. "That is, of course, if you don't kick there ass first. Now, you have until I finish talking to-"

"Alright, ALRIGHT!" Grath'lat said.

With that, Grefor saw his younger brother walk outside. He couldn't blame his brother for his feelings. He had Drag'lan's facial structure, but on his cheeks were two sets of small mandibles. His hair was the tell-tale dreadlocks his mother had. His skin was also mottled brown.

"Grath'lat, this is Grefor." Fral said. 'He's your older brother."

"Why are you taller than mom?" Grath'lat immediately asked.

"It's a long story, but the reason is because I went through certain changes, making me taller than her. I'm also wearing armor that makes me even taller." Grefor said, not surprised with the question.

"And are those the family blades?" Grath'lat asked, pointing at the harness on Grefor's armor.

"Yes, it is." Grefor said.

"Are they runed like father's were when he had them?" Grath'lat asked.

"Yes they are." Grefor said. "Only the runes are different from the ones father had."

"Could you show me?" Grath'lat asked.

"Not today." Grefor said. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Cool." Grath'lat said before turning around and starting to walk back into the house.

However, as he walked towards the door, a rock flew from nowhere and hit him in the back of the head. He was sent face-first into the door as it was opening before hitting the ground. Grefor spun around and saw what looked like a normal yautjan child holding a small amount of rocks. He looked back at Grath'lat and saw a small amount of blood seeping through the dreadlocks.

That got his rage pumping. Before either his mother or father could react, Grefor was in front of the yautjan child, grabbed them by their shirt and pulled them up to eye level, meaning they were about eight feet in the air. His eyes were pulsing out of the anger he felt.

"Why did you attack that other child?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"He's weak." The yautjan child said, uneasy because of the height they were at.

"And how do you know that he is weak?" Grefor said. "He has more honor than you do, more strength, if you attack someone when their back is turned."

"I know this because I've seen him. He rarely fights." The yautjan child said, their voice growing steadily more uneasy.

"It takes more strength to not fight, and then fight in only defense than it takes to start fights." Grefor said. "Do you know who his father is?"

The yautjan child just shook their head.

"Well, he's my brother, and our father is Drag'lan Sorell." Grefor said. "Do you know that name?"

"Yes." The yautjan child said, their eyes wide with clear fear.

"Then you should go." Grefor said before setting the child back on their feet. "Go. Now. Before I change my mind on letting you go."

The yautjan child immediately turned and ran. Grefor turned back around and walked back to his mother and father. He saw that his father was holding Har'jelit while his mother was looking over Grath'lat.

"Not bad, Grefor." Drag'lan said, impressed. "I didn't expect you to let him go."

"Father, I'm not completely like you." Grefor said. "I don't go killing those that anger me. How's Grath'lat?"

"He'll be fine. He's already stopped bleeding." Fral said. "Looks like he took after your father in the regeneration category."

"Good." Grefor said. "But how many times has something like this happened?"

"This would be the first time." Drag'lan said. "I suggest we go inside, however."

"I agree." Grefor said. "Then you guys can tell me what it's been like for the past five years."

"Same goes for you, Grefor." Fral said. "You can tell us the story about why you came here."

"I planned on doing that anyway." Grefor said, walking towards his mother and father's home, leaning forwards to be able to pass through the door.

Once inside, he started taking his armor off. He saw his mother and father walk into their room with his sister. Grath'lat came shambling out of his room, the back of his head bandaged. He looked at Grefor.

"What happened to me?" He asked.

"Someone threw a rock at you, knocking you out." Grefor said. "While mother and father were shocked, I dealt with the bastard that threw the rock. They won't be bothering you ever again."

"Thank you." Grath'lat said.

"No problem." Grefor said with a nod. "I look after those close to me. Always have and always will."

Right after he finished speaking, Drag'lan and Fral came back, Drag'lan holding Har'Jelit.

"Now, tell us what happened that brought you back home." Fral said.


End file.
